Purple Martin Forum

Just had a lone male arrive. Its pretty chilly here right now - 41 degrees. Tomorrow will be mid 60s and sunny so he should be god if he chooses to stay

Yeah, I couldn't wait. I went out and got them. Unfortunately one was missing already. They are in my garage in a warm, dry, large, ventilated container and drying off. They certainly could fly at one point because they were a fairly long way from the houses. I'm hoping they just fly back to where t...

It has been raining off and on here in southern Indiana for the past couple of weeks. Today there is a light rain steady rain. I was outside and noticed a bird in my pond "swimming" to shore. I noticed two more grounded birds under a rose bush at the base of their pole. They all appear to ...

At least 4 arrived today!!!! Only about a week earlier than last year.

I can't see a downside to using them. They may attract more martins and they may serve as a diversion to a hawk attack. I have had a couple up since I started this three years ago.

Seems to be 1/2". Its the only size they had. The snake was probably about 4 feet long.

Today I caught the second of two black ratsnakes trying to get a free lunch and dinner. Each was at a different pole and housing unit. I am very careful to check my netting multiple times each day because I actually like the critters. Both were cut free of the netting apparently not much worse for w...

The rain here in Southeast Indiana has been brutal but luckily we have had no real damaging storms. I snapped a couple pictures after work last night. The redwing blackbirds seem to live quite peacefully with my martins. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x305/GradyJ/Rainbowandmartinhouse.jpg http:/...

I had at least three males show up and spend the night Sunday night. Only one day earlier than last year. Another Indiana friend of mine had his show up yesterday as well. I was a little worried because it seemed so many in Indiana were coming home early. I feel much beter now.

I'll start by saying herpetology is my first love. I have been significantly involved with reptiles and amphibians and their conservation for more than 30 years. You'll have black rat snakes all the way through northern Indiana into Michigan. In North Western Indiana you have both black rat snakes a...

Oh no!!!! My first arrivals in 2009 were May 4. Last year was April 4. Today's sighting in Indiana is ony a few miles from my house . I better get going too!

Without seeing your "hazer" I can't tell for sure but you could try adding an eye screw or something similar on the side of the hazer opposite the side on which your cable is attached. You'll have to remove the cable and run it through that eye and back over the pulley. The tension of the ...

I'll tell you exactly how I do it. I use www.phobucket.com. Its free and easy. Once you have established an account hit the "Upload now" button for uploading a few photos or use the "Bulk Uploader" if you want to upload more than that. This will take you to a search screen that w...

I recently used fiberglass rods found at Lowes. The 48 inch rods are about 3/8" thick. I haven't observed the deterioration as mentioned above but I've only had them up for 1 season. They are about $2 each. They are called "Hillman Group 48" Reflective Staff Item #: 222125 | Model #: ...

There is a reptile show in Indianapolis every month. Here's the link for dates http://www.midwestreptile.com/welcome.php. You can buy boxes of 500 or 1000. I think 1000 is about $16. This saves you shipping but is probably a two hour drive for you. They are kind of fun though. It costs about $5 to w...

I installed one 2" vent for each of the 14 cavities. They are easily installed with a 2" hole drill bit and a little caulk. The angle of the vents prevents rain from entering. You can get a pack of for about $7 at Lowes.

I hung 6 bo 11 plus gourds from a T-14 I built and used angle aluminum stock. I'm not sure you can get the detail from the picture but the aluminum was very easy to work with and seems quite strong.

I have two of those systems - each with 6 gourds and a plastic house. I have never had a problem but they are not convenient at all. The plastic pins that keep the poles from sliding are very fragile; lifting the pole up and down is a pain and if it slips through your hand can result in broken eggs ...

I used standard carriage bolts, which have square portion betwen the head and the threads, to attach 6 gourds to my T-14. The square portion fit perfectly in the square gourd holes. I attached them to extruded aluminum angle stock which was attached to the bottom of my T-14.

Hi all. I have been dealing with snakes for more than 30 years - both in captivity and the wild. I have frequently been asked about different products that may work to keep snakes out of houses, chicken coops etc. I have NEVER come across one that really works. Everything that I have experienced ind...